Bitter Sweet Hope
by JessieKittie
Summary: After an attack from an unknown new enemy, Sakura is sent on a mission to Suna in order to help out with the injured. Unbeknownst to her this mission will throw her own life into chaos. sakunaru / sasusaku / LEMONS!


Hey there! Well, this is my first fanfic, please bear with me, and enjoy! Also note that this chapter is so short because it is merely an intro to the story.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!**

Summary: After an attack from an unknown new enemy, Sakura is sent on a mission to Suna in order to help out with the injured. Unbeknownst to her this mission will throw her own life into chaos. sakunaru / sasusaku / LEMONS!

Chapter 1: Reunions

**.: Sakura POV :.**

It was way too hot out here; she couldn't understand just how people lived like this. Did they have some kind of secret that kept their body temperature level, even though they were bundled up in cloaks and robes, walking under the blazing sun without a single bead of sweat forming on their foreheads? Sakura sure wanted some of whatever these people used, it would have saved her the embarrassment of walking through the gates of Suna with her hair sticking to her temples.

"Ah, Sakura-Sama, please hurry this way!" Well, that sure was a way to be greeted. He immediately motioned her to follow her.

She was rushed through the busy streets towards the hospital; it seemed as though they really needed her badly. The last attack had thrown this place into chaos; people were running around town, yelling commands and scurrying to extinguish the last of the fires licking away at their homes. Children were crying, injured men and women littered the streets, she didn't even know where to start.

"How many injured are there?" The young male beside her looked at her rather dumbfounded. "I'm sorry Sakura-Sama, but there are too many to count, and more keep coming in." She nodded her head, stopping for a minute to look around, an expression of determination crossing her features. "Get me two of your best medics. We have work to do."

And so they did. Sakura worked the rest of the day and through the entire night. By the time she had everyone patched up she was exhausted. Lucky for her none of the people had been in life threatening conditions so she could work through them one by one, although she had found three people already dead.

She was leaning against one of the building walls when she was approached by the young male from before. "I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier, my name is Hade." He bowed his head in respect. Sakura looked at the boy with a small grin. "Nice to meet you Hade, thanks for your help earlier."

"No problem at all. I bet you are tired Sakura-Sama, so I will show you to your apartment. Just follow me." He led the way to a large building beside the Hokage tower; it was an apartment complex of sorts.

"Here is your key Sakura-Sama, your room number is twenty-nine. Once you have rested come to the Kazekage's tower." He gave her another bow before he walked off down the street.

Just as he was out of sight a long yawn escaped her lips. She walked inside the building, making her way to her apartment. The hallways were empty and quiet; she wondered who else lived in this building, she sure couldn't feel anyone's chakra.

After some wandering she finally found her destined room, already yearning for her bed as she pulled out the key.

Just as she was about to open her door a voice spoke up from behind her. "Sakura." She whirled around to find a certain blond haired and blue eyed male watching her with a grin placed firmly on his lips. "Naruto, geeze you scared me." She paused for a moment, taking in his appearance with a wide-eyed expression. "Is that really you, Naruto?"

He had changed in the last two years, his body was well toned and his eyes actually looked serious? Was this really Naruto? Didn't he usually crush her in a loving hug every time they had a reunion? She started to realize just how long it had been since the last time they had seen each other.

"What, you don't recognize your old teammate?" He asked, his grin actually growing wider as he spoke.

"Yes, I mean no, I mean yes of course I do, but you just … you seem so different." Something seemed to flicker behind his eyes as she said this; he walked a bit closer, reaching out for her and pulled her into a tight hug.

It was slow, she could smell his scent; it went right to her head and clouded her thoughts. The hug didn't feel like the ones she was used to, this one felt more intimate. They stood there like that for a while until Naruto pulled back and smiled down at her warmly. "You've grown up haven't you?" She asked in a joking manner, this time he actually responded with the kind of laugh she knew.

"It's been a long time." That was all he had to say. "We will talk tomorrow Sakura, you look tired. Go get some rest." Yes, this definitely wasn't the loud, annoying boy she had known two years ago.

She nodded her head and entered her room, closing the door behind her with a sigh. "You sure have changed Naruto." She then went and got ready for bed, wondering what the next day would bring.

**Sasuke POV**

It was done. They were both dead.

There was only one place he could have gone after finally completing his goal; and that was back to Konoha, where his old teammates waited for him.

He hadn't heard about the attacks on Suna, so he was quite surprised when Tsunade had merely yelled at him for a while before sending him off on his first mission, and he had only been back for what, two hours at most?

It was obvious that Suna was in trouble; under other circumstances the Hokage would have probably not let him off this easily. He had heard from others that she sent every available man and woman to help out; even Sakura had left just that morning.

On his 'mission' he had encountered her and the dobe countless times. Yes, he had definitely been quite heartless towards them, but now that he finally had some air to breathe he vowed to correct his past mistakes.

He would never tell them this though; he still had his pride after all.

The last few months his mind had wandered to the pink haired kunoichi several times more than he had actually liked. The girl had changed; he had seen it all too well, her body had matured greatly, her hair had grown out to below her shoulders; she had curves in exactly the right places, and her eyes seemed to have brightened even more, with a hint of feral violence hidden behind them. Yes, she was beautiful in his eyes, the perfect woman, but he didn't know what he actually _felt_ for her.

Sometimes he pictured himself kissing her, tasting those plump rose coloured lips of hers. He didn't like it when his thoughts wandered that far, nor did he enjoy Sakura having firmly planted a picture of her in his head. She was driving him crazy with need without even knowing it.

'_Did she have a boyfriend?'_ This thought suddenly popped into his head as he saw Suna come into view. She wouldn't have abandoned her feelings for him so easily, would she?

He had been a traitor, he understood that part, but could that really make her dislike or even hate him?

His face scrunched up in annoyance as he shoved these thoughts into the back of his mind.

These feelings were something he had to figure out another time, for now he had other things to worry about, like presenting himself to the Kazekage without getting killed, for he doubted that the Hokage had sent word of his return.

Lucky for him she had given him a hand written letter explaining the matter.

As he approached Suna's gates he noted that people were running all over the place, not a single guard stood on his post watching out for any travellers or even enemies. The attack seemed to have truly caught them off guard, and the town itself was quite damaged.

He headed straight for the Kazekage Tower, sticking to shadows and avoiding large groups in case someone recognized him.

Just as he guessed the tower was also guarded quite poorly, so it was easy for him to slip in unnoticed. He knew exactly where the Kazekage would be, he could feel the guy's chakra in the top room, so that was where he headed.

Once he reached the top floor two guards finally took a good look at him, their expressions showing both fear and shock, yet before they could react the door to the Kazekage's office flung open, revealing a tall redhead he recognized immediately. "Uchiha, what are you doing here?" He hissed, his eyes dropping down to the letter Sasuke held out to him.

"That's from Tsunade, it should explain everything." Gaara took the envelope from his hands, opening it and quickly scanning its contents.

Finally he looked up, nodding his head to indicate that he understood. "So you have returned."

"Hn." The simple trademark answer was all he offered.

"Well, tonight the town won't need your help. Sakura has seen to that. You should go rest up in your apartment; I will call for you tomorrow." Sasuke could feel his heart rate rise at the mention of Sakura's name. What exactly did he mean by 'she has seen to that'? He was left wondering while Gaara turned to one of his guards. "Get him the key to apartment number twenty-eight, that one should still be free."

Of course Gaara knew that most apartments in that building were unoccupied, but he wanted to see what would come out of Sasuke living next to his old female teammate.

The guard did as he was told and handed Sasuke the key, who took it without a word and immediately set off to his apartment, unaware of the amused expression set on Gaara's features.

As soon as he entered the building he felt the familiar chakra from the very person his body ached for nearby, of course it belonged to the pink haired female he thought of almost regularly. Cursing under his breath he walked to his destined room, only to find that it was located right next to that where the familiar chakra was leaking out from.

He grinned suddenly, letting his own suppressed chakra leak out to inform her of his presence. He could tell that she was still awake; it would only be a matter of seconds before…

… and there she was, standing in the open doorframe of her room, clad in a tight black tank top and grey short. She looked rather intimidating, those bright eyes staring right into his without fear. "What are you doing here Uchiha?" She hissed, her hand forming a fist as she stepped out of the room.

He smirked, his eyes wandering over her excellent frame; he could feel his blood boiling from within at the mere sight of her. "I'm back." Was all he said, watching as her expression suddenly changed, from shock, to disbelief and then to that of bitter sweet hope.


End file.
